Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s farewell speech to the retiring members of Rajya Sabha 
The Honourable chairman,
The august house,
I am fully confident that now some of our colleagues will further strengthen their role in social service after gaining this experience. Each retiring Hon’blemember of the House has made its own contribution, has its own importance and each one of them have made every possible effort for making the country’s future bright while being the member of the Houseand country can never forget them.
I congratulate all of you for rendering an excellent service and I also convey my best wishes to all of you for your future.
This house belongs to those senior members whose experience in life adds value to the House.
This house of elders, these senior members are capable of taking into account that what will be good and what will not be good for the society in the future by weighing the expectations and aspirations of the social life in an unbiased manner.
And because of that thing whatever is being said here carries a special value, carries a special importance and it is that importance which plays an extremely crucial role in our policy making.
We have stalwarts like respected ParasharanJi amongst us who have lived his life like an ascetic in addition to having a professionalism in life. Such kind of people were among us and now we will not be benefitted from him through the House.
Twoplayers who are a matter of pride for India, ShrimanDileepJi and SachinJi, these two players too will not be amongst us in the coming days and we will not be able to be benefited from them.
People will always remember Professor KurienSaheb. His smiling face, and it should be learnt that something is to be said but it is to be said in a smiling manner, this thing has been his unique feature and because of this,his role was very important in running the house in an orderly manner even in times of crisis.
It’s true that there will be very few people amongst us who do not have a party background or were not related to their party’s ideology. There are very few people like that.Most of us are those who have some or the other background and therefore it’snatural for us to make efforts to establish those views here, it’s extremely natural thing.
But this expectation is also there that it’s not necessary that whatever happens in Lok Sabha must also happen in the Rajya Sabha as well. And, therefore, each one has played its own role because the house of elders has its own importance.
I believe that perhaps there will be a lot of people amongst you who would have planned that when it will be the last session then I would raise this issue; then I would come with this kind of preparation that I would retire after delivering a historic speech; that I would retire by placing these views, by making my contribution in some important work of the country. However, perhaps, you people did not get that opportunity at the time of retirement. It’s not the responsibility of the other side; it’s the responsibility of all of us that you people are retiring like this.
Had you people got the opportunity to retire by playing an important role in an extremely important decision at the time of retirement, had you people got the opportunity to retire by leaving behind the legacy of some good things then it would have been better and you people would have got a special sense of responsibility.
However, perhaps it was because of the situation in the house that you people have been deprived of that good opportunity. Yesterday, it even seemed that this opportunity today will also be lost. However, theHonourableChairman worked very hard, he tried to persuade everyone, he tried to take everyone along.Shriman Vijay Ji too pitched in.
So finally it became possible that all the members retiring today will be able to express their feelings. However, even then, you people have lost that one last opportunity at the time of retirement for contributing in such an important decision which the history would always remember. You got the opportunity during your tenure and you have utilised it too but that last opportunity has been missed.
You people have been deprived of the opportunity to decide about the important decisions like Triple Talaq thatis going to play an extremely important role in the history of India in the coming days. Those who have been re-elected, they will get the opportunity. However, those who are retiring today, have been deprived of opportunity of this important historic decision making. And I believe that you people will feel a little pain of this, if not today then it will be certainly be there in the next ten, twenty or twenty five years. Had we accomplished all these things then it would have been better.
Once again I convey my best wishes to all those Hon’ble members, to all those honourable members who have been retiring. I would like to urge one thing as your colleague that please don’t assume that the doors of this entire House will be closed for you just because of the closing of the doors of this house. The doors of this campus are open for you. The doors of Prime Minister’s office are open for you.
In the interest of the country, whatever ideas you people come across, whenever you have them, you are always welcome and I would be glad to hear you, I would be glad to understand you. And wherever you may be, I would certainly try to take forward your ideas and your contribution.
Once again I thank you people very much and convey my best wishes to you.